Wedding Dress
by dramione0917
Summary: Draco is at Hermione's wedding. Only, it's not between him and Hermione. It's Blaise and Hermione's wedding. A short 1000 word one-shot.


A short 1000 word one-shot. If you like, review!

OoOoO

(_Flashback_)

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

(_Flashback ends_)

Draco awoke with a start.

_I can't be late. It's today._

Today was the day that Draco had to watch his best-friend marry his true love.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of nausea come over him. Draco ran to the bathroom, and threw up what was left of his dinner into the toilet.

Draco grimaced at the sour taste and after washing his face clean, he looked up into the mirror.

The man that stared back at him was unrecognizable. Dark circles ran under his sunken eyes, red-rimmed from crying. His hair was untrimmed and now was almost at his shoulders.

_I have to do this. For Hermione._

He went to the closet and carefully pulled out and black suit that he had put there yesterday. He painstakingly buttoned up the white shirt, and tied the green tie.

A tear slid silently down his cheek as he thought back to the times when they had been so happy together.

(_Flashback_)

"Draco, come on, we're almost there!" Hermione pulled on Draco's hand and ran up to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Their voices echoed all the way to the bottom of the empty staircase.

As the pair reached the top of he tower, Hermione looked out to the stars, and Draco heard a sudden intake of breath. "It's so…" she stumbled, trying to find the right words to describe the wondrous sight above her head.

"Beautiful?" Draco offered.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder back at him. "Yes. It's amazing, isn't it?"

"I wasn't talking about the view," he replied back.

She stared quizzically at him and then laughed. "Stop being silly, Draco. We're friends, not lovers. Only lovers would say something as cheesy as that."

That should have been his first clue.

(_Flashback ends_)

Draco sprinted out of his apartment and headed to the church. Outside, he could see people milling around, waiting for the ceremony to begin. He ran inside to try and find her, to try and convince her that she shouldn't do this, but once he caught his eye on her, his throat closed up.

Hermione sat there, and she looked so beautiful in that white gown, Draco felt his heart stop. She saw him and smiled and waved happily at him. Draco forced a smile back, and quickly excused himself, saying he needed to go the washroom. He couldn't stand watching her look so happy when he was so miserable.

In the washroom, Draco quickly washed his face with cold water. _I thought I could handle this, but I can't. What's wrong with me?_

"Hey, Draco!"

Draco turned around and saw Blaise. "Hey, man, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be outside?"

Blaise grinned. "Not supposed to see the bride until she comes down the aisle."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence stretched as the two men stared at each other.

"Well, I'd better get going." Draco broke the silence and headed outside to the garden. _Why didn't I see this before? There were plenty of clues, now that I look back. Why did this happen?_

(_Flashback_)

"So, isn't this a wonderful day?"

Hermione and Draco were lying down on a picnic blanket and were eating some chips.

"Yeah, beautiful."

Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks for bringing me out here. I love picnics."

They grinned at each other and for a while, they were content with just eating chips and looking at the scenery.

That was before Blaise popped up out of nowhere.

"Hey, guys, what are you doing?"

Hermione smile at him. "Having a picnic, silly. Want to join?"

Draco leaned back into the shadow of the tree, scowling as she and Blaise began chatting.

(_Flashback end_)

Draco stood next to Blaise at the altar and watched as Hermione was escorted by her father to meet them. He could almost imagine that it was he who was waiting for her at the altar—he would stand up there next to her and say his vows. Then he would kiss her and make her his. Only ever his. But it was Blaise that reached out and took Hermione's hand. Not him.

_Hermione, please. Don't do this to me. I love you. Why don't you understand_?

"Is there anyone who opposes the marriage between these two?"

Draco was silent even though his heart screamed at him to say something. _For Hermione's sake. She loves him. Not me._

The priest finished saying the lines and Draco turned away as the couple kissed. He couldn't bear to watch his only love get taken away by another. But for Hermione's sake . . . for Hermione's sake, he would put on a smile. No matter how much it hurts. Smile for her.

Only for her.

(_Flashback_)

Draco saw Hermione standing at the bar talking with Ginny and briskly walked over there and dragged her away from her conversation.

"Draco?"

Draco took her to an empty hallway and fumbled in his pockets, searching. _Where did I put it?_

Suddenly, Blaise came around the corner and took something out of his pocket.

Blaise took Hermione's hand and gently slipped on the ring onto her ring finger.

Hermione beamed with joy, and threw her arms around Blaise, crying out, "Yes! Of course!"

Draco put on a weak smile, but once they turned away, his facade dropped.

_Hermione's getting married. To Blaise. My best-friend._

Quietly, he slipped away from the crowd and went back to his apartment, his heart in pieces.

(_Flashback end_)

In the after-party of the wedding, Draco could see Blaise and Hermione being swarmed by her friends and family.

Draco carefully took out the ring he had had in his pocket that night, and looked at it. He gazed shifted to Hermione, who was happily saying something to Blaise, who in turn kissed her.

_She's happier this way._

He closed his eyes, and gently let the ring slip out of his hand and fall to the floor.


End file.
